Common Name:

General Information

Artemisia keiskeana is a perennial plant growing 30 - 100cm tall. The plant is strongly rhizomatous, producing a cluster of branched stems that are more or less woody and persist[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, food and source of thatching material

Known Hazards

Although we have seen no specific reports for this species, many members of this genus contain potentially allergenic sesquiterpene lactones that can cause skin reactions[].

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - eastern Russia, northeast China, Japan, Korea

Habitat

Mountains all over Japan[]. Roadsides, dry slopes, shrublands, grasslands and forest margins; at elevations ofromf 100 - 900 metres in China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus are generally easily grown, succeeding in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a sunny position[, ]. They tend to be longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil[].
Established plants are drought tolerant.
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].
This species is closely related to Artemisia dracunculus[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves and shoot tips - cooked[, ]. The leaves contain about 5.6% protein, 1.2% fat, 9.5% carbohydrate, 2.6% ash[].

Medicinal

The seeds are used in the treatment of impotence, amenorrhoea, post-partum pain etc[].

Other Uses

The stalks are used for thatching traditional cottages[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow from late winter to early summer in a greenhouse, making sure that the compost does not dry out[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring or autumn[].
Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the young shoots when about 10 - 15cm long, pot up in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse or cold frame and plant them out when well rooted. Very easy.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame.